I was thinking, they say dinosaurs was wiped out by meteorite, but all animals under 50 kg survived. Hence we have chickens, crocodiles etc. today. But if life can be wiped out by a meteorite, it means that our planet isn`t safe after all, which I doubt a little. I think what reappy happened instead, was that maximum of possible variants of dinosaurs were born, so they naturally became extinct for another species to take over. Since humans are more intelligent than dinosaurs were, it`ll take longer perhaps to reach maximum. It can`t be like an infinite variants, it has to stop someday, or will it go on forever? They say 117 billion people have been born so far, all different

Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria accepted donations of clothing so they could "look their best" to represent the UK, David Lammy has said.

Asked about the donations, the foreign secretary suggested other countries had generous taxpayer-funded budgets for leaders' clothing.

Lammy was responding to reports Sir Keir may have broken parliamentary rules in failing to declare clothes bought for his wife by Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli.

He told Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “US presidents and first ladies have a huge budget, paid for by the taxpayer, so that they look their best on behalf of the US people."

In fact, the US first lady does not have access to a specific clothing budget - and many have shared frustration at the cost of staying fashionable in the White House.

Continued below.

Biden's last-minute constitutional change slammed by legal experts: 'Cynical and irrelevant'​

Someone needs to remind him that he cannot change to the constitution by himself.

Biden’s announcement is both cynical and irrelevant," said former Assistant U.S. attorney and Fox News contributor Andrew McCarthy. "If he believed what he is saying, he would’ve said it when his administration started, not when he is on his way out the door as a failed, one-term president.

"More importantly, the president has no constitutional role in the amendment process, so his view carries no weight."

When raising the US flag to full staff doesn't seem like enough.​

​

Louisiana governor to fly MAGA flag for Trump’s inauguration​

The staunch Trump ally invited fellow Louisianans to raise MAGA flags on Inauguration Day.

First lady Jill Biden said incoming first lady Melania Trump declined her invitation for tea, according to a report in The Washington Post.

Biden reportedly extended the invitation to have tea at the White House, as is customary for incoming and outgoing first ladies during the presidential transition.

Continued below.

Trump launches $TRUMP Meme Coin; is it crypto gold or a campaign gimmick?

My concerns are that the timing of this is highly dubious (I mean, not really it's a great way to make a quick buck for everyone involved).

And by everyone I would point out that Trump insiders own 80% and that only about 10% is actually going to be made public.

And it's interesting that the lockup period coincides with trumps presidency time lines.

The rich know how often Trump exploits people and so many of them will be happy to exploit others along with him.


I don't know what I wish foe Trump supporters in this case. I guess I hope you make wise investments.


The fact is that this is going to happen over the next 4 year a lot. So I thought that this thread can be the catelogue. Feel free to add as seen fit.

Moses was used of God to deliver the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and to lead them in the ways of holiness and obedience to God. But they ended up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years before the Lord took a remnant of them into the land he had promised. And why only a remnant? Because the majority of them rebelled against the Lord, and against Moses, and they would not obey God, but they engaged in idolatry, revelry, sexual immorality, and in putting Christ to the test, and in grumbling against God and Moses.

But this isn’t just about them and what they did. This isn’t just a history lesson. These things took place as examples to us, that we might not desire evil as they did. These things happened to them as an example to us, but they were written down for our instruction. Why? So we would not repeat the same mistakes that they made and end up with the same results. For those who rebelled against God and who continued in their sins, and did not obey God, did not enter into God’s eternal rest (into life eternal with God).

So, what is the lesson here for us? We cannot just give lip service to God. We cannot just make a profession of faith in him once in our lives and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed us when we die, regardless of how we live. It doesn’t work that way, even though that is what is predominantly being taught here in America as “the gospel.” So many people are being taught to just “pray a prayer to receive Christ,” and then they are being promised heaven, and that it can’t be taken from them.

But that is not what the NT Scriptures teach, as a whole, and in their correct biblical context. What they teach, as a whole, is that we must die with Christ to sin and be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. They teach that we are to deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and that we are to follow (obey) our Lord in daily practice. For if sin is our practice, and not obedience, we will not inherit the kingdom of God.

So, a profession of faith in Jesus is not going to assure us forgiveness of all sin, and salvation from the punishment of sin, and eternal life with God in heaven, if that profession of faith is not followed up with us dying with Christ to sin daily, by the Spirit, and us walking in obedience to our Lord and to his NC commands, in daily practice, in the power of God. Thus, we cannot ignore God’s NC commands, and continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and be delivered from sin and be promised eternal life with God guaranteed.


[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Abbreviations: [NC=New Covenant; OC=Old Covenant; NT=New Testament; OT=Old Testament]

Should I Not Preach Jesus

An Original Work / July 4, 2013
Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13

Woe to me should I not preach Jesus.
I’m compelled to preach the full gospel.
I make myself a slave to ev’ryone
To win their hearts to Christ.
All this I do for my Lord Jesus,
And for the sake of His Name;
Do it for the sake of His gospel,
So that I, its blessings gain.

Scripture notates the sins of others;
Written down for us as examples
To keep us from setting our hearts
On evil as did those of old.
Do not worship other gods of man;
Do not give your hearts to them;
Not partake in immorality.
Do not test your Lord and King.

So, be careful if you think you are
Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.
God has given his word to warn us,
So through faith we will not fall.
No temptation has o’ertaken you
Except what is commonplace.
God is faithful to not let you be
Tempted past what you can bear.
He gives the way of escape.

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The Bible mentions the Lilith only once, as a dweller in waste places (Isaiah 34:14),

Wildcats shall meet with desert beasts, satyrs shall call to one another; There shall the lilith repose, and find for herself a place to rest.

So she obviously existed.

I think we need a light-hearted fluff thread now and then. At least, I do. It may not seem important, but sometimes I like to overthink, and right now this is a good distraction for me. Something else to think about.

Up for discussion, just how cut and dried are the definitions of truth and lie?

My husband works nights. I'm sitting in the living room when I see that he has texted me. He wants me to please turn on a faucet to a trickle so that our pipes don't freeze and bust because it's expected to get very cold here.

I text back, "Done." Then I immediately get up and go do as he asked me to do.

At the moment I texted him back, I had not yet done it, although I did fully intend to do it right away. Since it was not in fact done yet, would you say I lied to him? Or does the fact that I immediately got up and did it make me honest? If I had somehow been distracted along the way, say something happened to one of the cats, and I took care of that instead, and never did get around to actually turning on the faucet, would that have been lying to him? Or does lying have to be something I do on purpose, i.e. telling him I did it but I knew full well I had no plans to? If I did lie by telling him, "Done," before I actually did it, should I have texted back, "Will do," instead?

How rigid are the honesty rules anyway?

A move of God in India like in no other country!

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And with their share of persecution...

And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the LORD commanded by Moses.

Hi everyone, I would greatly appreciate your prayers- I have an aunt named Gloria that was just diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she is scheduled for surgery in the next few days to have part of her pancreas removed. Apparently they caught the cancer early and it has not metastasized or spread in her body so the doctors are optimistic, however she will need to be on insulin now after part of her pancreas is removed. She is currently not saved, she is a unitarian, they believe all religions are equally valid, it is a demonic thing. Please agree with me for her healing and salvation! Thank You!

Lord God we lift up Gloria to You right now and we pray for a miracle in her current situation for her complete healing and deliverance from cancer! We take authority over all cancer cells and cancerous tumors in her body and we command them to shrink and disappear, wither and die in the name of Jesus, we curse the cancer at it's roots in the name of Jesus! We pray for wisdom for all doctors and surgeons and that the surgery would be successful! We pray for supernatural strength for Gloria and the entire family to endure this situation and that You would deliver them all from this situation! We also pray for Gloria's salvation! Thank You God!

As President-elect Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day approaches, leaders of the pro-life movement are highlighting important policies and sharing their hopes and expectations for the new administration.

While the Trump-Pence administration is remembered for its role in overturning Roe v. Wade, Trump was criticized by many for pledging during his campaign to veto an abortion ban and for his support of in vitro fertilization.

Nevertheless, pro-life advocates and policy experts are hopeful that the new administration will take concrete actions on behalf of the unborn in the post-Roe landscape.

Cut public funding for U.S. abortion providers​

Continued below.

A nominee to serve in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet said a Hail Mary with members of his family ahead of his confirmation hearing.

Video footage shared by Fox News host Rachel Campos Duffy shows her husband, Sean Duffy, a former congressman from Wisconsin, and their family praying a Hail Mary together on Capitol Hill Wednesday, shortly before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce conducted a confirmation hearing in consideration of his nomination as secretary of transportation in the forthcoming Trump administration.

Duffy, a Catholic father of nine, also posted a picture of his family gathered together following the hearing.

Continued below.

Hi I am Hannah I am from Russia. I have been a Christian for 1 year but I was not serious about it until a month ago. My family are basically all atheists since over 100 years ago and so it is mostly new to me and I am learning so much. On YouTube I have been watching lots of videos to learn and also I have been to church sometimes but often my parents do not always allow me to attend because they think other family things are more important and it is confusing to me on how to fight them on this. I think that is the theme of my life it is confusion. I hope this site can help me with all of my questions, as well as attending church every week and learning from there.

My side quest is to also learn English. I always have spoken it since I was little but religious topics are not something I ever learned in English so that is fun to learn. And it also helps me understand complicated theology to learn it in Russian as well as English. I think it is good reinforcement.

My other interests are tennis, horse riding, veganism, poetry, art and music. I play violin but truthfully do not enjoy it, but I love listening to all sorts of music.

Grace and peace

I believe God tests humanity, remember the Holocaust? Many people fled the country, or joined the nazis because they were scared and were under pressure to be like them.

The Bible talks about a time where humanity will either take the mark of the beast or reject it, and it is going to be a time of tribulation and suffering. Many people will take the mark and worship the beast.

If we are prioritizing survival of the fittest while neglecting the poor and weak what would God think? It's not about survival but doing the right thing and we need to sacrifice to save others even if the cost is our own life it is a hard thing to do, but that is what the early Christians did in the Bible.

We can either neglect the weak and poor during the time of tribulation because we are more concerned about our own well-being or trust in God believe that there is heaven and that life on this earth is short and what matters is doing the right thing protect the poor and weak during this time of tribulation, reject the mark of the beast, and endure until the end.

Hopefully we are raptured but who knows what will happen if we will have to endure or not. But this is what I'm thinking, survival of the fittest is satanic and is devoid of any empathy. It is better we sacrifice for others to be protected than to disregard them and focus on our own welfare.

What do you think? How should Christians be in the end times? I just have a hard time believing hoarding all the resources, wealth is going to sit well with God.

Biden added protections to Title IX without legislative action. The rules altered Title IX to include gender identity as a protected class.

The Biden administration ignited controversy when it finalized the new rules last year. The regulation expanded Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding discrimination based on sex in education, to also prevent discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. It also widened the definition of harassment to include a broader range of misconduct.

Civil rights advocates hailed it as a victory, saying it gave LGBTQ+ students new recourse against discrimination. But it drew outrage from conservatives who said it could be used to protect transgender athletes in girls’ sports.

In his decision, Reeves found the Education Department overstepped its authority by expanding the scope of Title IX.

There’s nothing in the 1972 law suggesting that it should cover any more than it has since Congress created it, Reeves wrote. He called it an “attempt to bypass the legislative process and completely transform Title IX.”

The judge also found that it violated free speech rights by requiring teachers to use pronouns aligning with a student’s gender identity.

“The First Amendment does not permit the government to chill speech or compel affirmance of a belief with which the speaker disagrees in this manner,” Reeves wrote.

Rather than carve out certain aspects of the rule, Reeves decided it was best to toss the regulation in its entirety and revert to a previous interpretation of Title IX. He said his decision will “simply ‘cause a return to the status quo’ that existed for more than 50 years prior to its effective date.”

This came about from suits filed by states that claimed Biden overstepped. This is a victory for the First Ammendment and for women.

The overall reassurance to stay the course and save the planet. From the article:



Lithium batteries make the power grid more stable and reduce the need for energy to be generated from fossil fuels, which release planet-warming gases. California was an early adopter of battery storage and leads the nation with more than 11 gigawatt-hours online.

In the NT, after the resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit seemed to be active. Do you think that the Spirit is as active today?

The reason I am asking, is that Paul, in Romans, seems to describing a situation where in the Spirit was actively guiding the actions of the believers, leading them into truth. And the new believers are not under law because the Holy Spirit can achieve what the law could not. The law said to not murder, but the Spirit shows believers how to go beyond the rigid regulations and to love others as themselves. The problem is that although I have met people who talk about God telling them this or that, I have never met anyone with the power of the Holy Spirit that Paul, Peter, Phillip, Phillip's four (4) unmarried prophesying daughters, and many others had at that time.

Acts 19: While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

I was baptized in the name of Christ and joined my church denomination. But I feel like it was much more like what is described as John's baptism. I didn't have the Holy Spirit come onto me, I didn't speak in tongues or prophesy. I pray for God's guidance, but I have never had God to actually speak to me as he did to Ananias to heal Paul, or Philip to speak with the Ethiopian.

The Spirit seems to have acted differently at different times. When Saul was anointed King of Israel, he was dramatically filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. When Elijah was taken to heaven, Elisha asked for a double dose of his Spirit, and was told that if he saw the departure, then he would be given this. But there is lots and lots of history around these times were such things were NOT happening.

Are we living in a Spirit-quiet time now? Part of me wonders if dramatic part of the Spirit is for an outward show. But what God really desires is what comes afterwards. God wanted king Saul to do His work and was upset when Saul didn't follow instructions. So maybe we shouldn't be looking for flashy signs? I've seen videos of people in churches rolling around on the floor, "filled with the Spirit." Those situations seem to me, see like self-induced hysteria and not the working of God. (But my point is not to criticize anyone because I don't know for sure.)

So I do feel that God gives me guidance. I pray for understanding about various issues, and months later realize that my requests have been answered -- in such a subtle way that I hardly noticed it happening. But, again, it is not dramatic like has happened for some in the Bible.

Can others give me their take on this situation?

KT

Oath Keepers lawyer sentenced to year in prison for ordering militia to destroy evidence after Jan. 6​

A former Texas prosecutor will serve a year in prison for ordering members of the Oath Keepers militia to destroy evidence about their involvement in the Capitol riot after Jan. 6, 2021.

[Judge] Mehta said SoRelle might not believe it, but she was fortunate. He said it “shocked the conscience” that she used her status as a lawyer and former supervisory prosecutor to amplify Oath Keeper founder Stewart Rhodes’ increasingly violent calls to oppose the transfer of power. While Rhodes, who was romantically involved with SoRelle at the time, was charged with and later convicted of seditious conspiracy, SoRelle was not. But, Mehta said, she shared in his culpability for misleading his followers into believing the country was on the precipice of falling into chaos.

Mehta sentenced her to a year in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. SoRelle will receive credit for approximately 75 days spent in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons during her competence restoration. Mehta also ordered her not to associate with any known members of terrorist or extremist groups.

see also

State employees suspected of stealing from low-income Texans' public assistance accounts​

Seven state employees have been fired for improperly accessing — and in some cases, stealing money from — accounts of thousands of Texans who receive Medicaid, food stamps and other public assistance, The Texas Tribune has confirmed.

Four of those employees were fired in December in what is believed to be the largest data breach in the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s history after officials say they had accessed the personal account information of 61,104 Texans without a clear business reason.

Because the investigation is ongoing, officials have not released the names of the fired employees and would not confirm on Friday if any personal information of the 61,104 was leaked to the public or if any of their funds were stolen.

In the breach affecting the 61,104 Texans, a private contractor alerted agency officials on Nov. 21 of potential suspicious activity.

...another two were fired after $270,000 was stolen from some 500 food stamp accounts

On Jan. 31, a member of the public reported that an employee in the eligibility division was changing personal identifying numbers, or PINs, on clients’ cards and selling the cards for half their worth in cash. Investigators found that the employee had changed PINs on 211 food stamp cards, leading to $81,638 stolen. The employee was fired and the case referred to local prosecutors.

Then last summer, the inspector general’s office found another division employee who had changed the PINs on 391 food stamp cards, using the benefits for illegal purchases resulting in a loss of $190,518. The employee was fired and the matter referred to a local district attorney.

Hey I have been watching Youtube videos made in Iran in the last few days and I have noticed something- almost none of the women in Iran are wearing the hijab (muslim head scarf) anymore, almost not a soul! This is very brave, they could be arrested by the religious police and be tortured for doing this! There are several people from Iran that have married into my family and I have been asking them about this, if they have any word on what is going on inside the country! If you want to see this for yourself a link to a video is here:

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President Joe Biden on Friday proclaimed that the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) — a long-debated constitutional measure that some critics have argued could legalize abortion nationwide — is “the law of the land,” a declaration that appeared to carry no legal weight but which could set off a protracted political and legal fight for the incoming Trump administration.

The amendment holds that “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” It was first proposed over a century ago in 1923. It has been championed by advocates in the decades since and has been ratified by numerous states.

Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment in 2020, nominally clearing the necessary threshold of three-fourths of the states needed to amend the U.S. Constitution.

But U.S. Archivist Colleen Shogan — who is officially charged with entering an amendment into the Constitution upon its ratification — has said the amendment failed to pass the congressional deadline that was set by Congress of June 30, 1982.

Continued below.

The number of illegal aliens **dropped** during his tenure???

In what possible alternative universe?


“When I became president, the numbers [of illegal migrants] came way down.”
— Joe Biden, Jan. 5

MSN

Trump said he'll be sworn in and deliver his inauguration address inside the Capitol Rotunda.

"We will open Capital One Arena on Monday for LIVE viewing of this Historic event, and to host the Presidential Parade," Trump added. "I will join the crowd at Capital One, after my Swearing In."

When Trump is sworn in at noon on Monday, the temperature will be about 18 or 19 degrees [F]. Due to the wind, the wind chill -- what temperature it feels like -- will be between 5 and 10 degrees.

President Ronald Reagan's second inauguration in 1985 was also moved inside due to the weather.